Two of a Kind
by Animegod 197
Summary: An analysis of the relationships between Ash & Misty and Tyson & Hilary from the perspectives of the characters themselves.
1. Confusion & Heartache

Hello, everyone. For those that are waiting for an update to my story, "Mary Sue vs The Bey Girls", I'm sorry for not updating but I haven't been very motivated for that story lately. Hopefully, I'll get it back soon. Anyway, this is my first crossover story and it's between the two series that I've written for the most and focuses on two very similar couples (both of which are beloved by me). I hope you enjoy this first chapter. Read & Review.

Disclaimer: I don't own any part of either the Beyblade franchise or the Pokemon franchise.

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><p>It was a bright and sunny day at the Granger dojo but the atmosphere of the building didn't match the tranquility of its surroundings, chiefly due to two of its occupants arguing rather heatedly. One of them was Tyson Granger, who shared the dojo's name and the other was his friendcoach/secret crush (though he would never admit the last part), Hilary Tatibana.

The fact that they were arguing wasn't surprising as it was a phenomenon that had been occurring almost since the day they met and normally, the others would simply roll their eyes and try to avoid getting involved. This time however, they were arguing over something that affected the whole group so there was little choice but to get involved.

"Tyson, let me make this perfectly clear since that thick skull of yours seems to be preventing you from grasping what I'm trying to say. I don't care that you're the four-time world champion, I don't care that it's _only_ been a week since the championship tournament, I don't care that it's nine o-clock in the morning, and I don't care that it's the weekend. We agreed that you would start back on your regular training regimen one week after the tournament was over. You've had seven days to rest and goof off, now it's time to get back to work," Hilary said.

"Well, I don't care what we agreed to and I don't care that you're _technically _a coach. You know that the team gets the weekends off, so why should that change just because you say so?" Tyson said.

"Because you said you would start training exactly seven days from the date of the tournament, and you didn't just make the agreement with me, but with Kai and Hiro too."

"She's right, Tyson. You can't simply back out of the deal just because you suddenly decide that you don't feel like training today," Kai said.

"Why do you always take HER side?" Tyson asked, turning to face Kai.

"I don't take sides, I agree with the one that's right, and like or not, most of the time, Hilary is right," Kai said.

"Tyson, it's just one day of one weekend. It's not going to kill you," Ray said.

"And besides, if you take too much time off, you risk becoming sloppy," Kenny added.

"Yeah, and I don't wanna fight you if you suck because you're too lazy to train!" Daichi piped up.

"Alright, fine!" Tyson said throwing his hands up in defeat. He then turned to Hilary, glaring. "Congratulations on getting your way, yet again Hilary!"

"It's not about getting my way, it's about making sure you and the others are always at your best. You of all people should understand that." Hilary walked past him and out of the dojo.

As he watched her go, still glaring at her retreating form, Tyson asked himself a question that he had yet to find an answer to. _Why do I even like her?_

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><p>Meanwhile, two other people were in a different predicament. Ash Ketchum was laying on the living room couch having just finished crying his eyes out at his own stupidity. His best friend and secret love Misty Waterflower had come to his house to surprise him (again) when he came home.<p>

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><p><em>Ash opened the door and saw Misty sitting on the couch. She turned and smiled at him.<em>

"_Hi, Ash! Welcome home!" she said, smiling at him._

_Ash gave a small smile back. "Hi Misty…"_

"_Come and sit with me so we can catch up," she said._

_He hesitated, and slowly went over to sit down next to her almost as if he was afraid of her. "This is a surprise. What are you doing here?" he asked._

"_Well, since you didn't get a chance to take a break from traveling and visit me, I thought I'd come and see you instead," she answered._

_Ash's expression immediately soured. This was what he was afraid of and wanted to avoid. He felt enormously guilty for not visiting her during his travels in Sinnoh and knew that he wouldn't get to do it while in Unova. He just wanted to have a pleasant visit without anyone bringing up his neglectful behavior, but now that she'd done it, he was angry with her for making him feel worse._

"_What is with you always bringing up the fact that I don't visit? Don't you think I want to? What about you? I didn't see you trying to come visit me while I was in Sinnoh!" he said defensively._

_Misty's eyes widened in surprise, taken aback by his angry reply. Her expression quickly changed to angry as well._

"_Well, I'm sorry Ash, but unlike you, I have a responsibility that I can't just shirk whenever I feel like it so it's not easy for me to visit you especially since you're constantly on the move. Why are you being defensive? I'm here now, aren't I?"_

"_Yeah, but you don't have to bring up our lack of face to face contact everytime I talk to you. It's annoying."_

"_You know what's annoying? Your attitude right now! We haven't seen each other in almost two years and instead of being happy that your best friend came to visit you, you're acting like a jerk_ _just because I stated a fact!"_

"_Well you know what? Stop stating it because I'm sick of hearing it!"_

"_Why are you being such a jackass?"_

"_Why can't you get through a conversation without rubbing my not visiting you in my face?"_

"_You know, I was hoping that this would be a nice visit but obviously you're hell-bent on making sure that doesn't happen! You're not even glad that I came to see you! You're a lousy friend, you know that?"_

_Ash gasped out loud at her words. That had hurt._ _He knew that he wasn't being nice right now, but did she really think he was a bad friend? His eyes narrowed into slits._

"_A lousy friend? After everything we've been through, you really have the nerve to say I'm a lousy friend? Well, if that's what you think, then get out! I never wanted you to be here, anyway! In fact, you can go back to Cerulean City permanently!"_

_Misty eyes widened in shock and soon tears appeared. She put her head down for a moment and when she looked up, her face betrayed no emotion except for the unshed tears. "Alright Ash. If that's what you really want, then fine. You won't have to worry about me ever visiting you again because I'm never coming back."_

_Ash's anger faded immediately and he opened his mouth to apologize but before he could, she continued. _

"_And to make it better for you, you can never come to the Cerulean City Gym again, for any reason. Goodbye, Ash." _

_Now it was Ash's turn to be shocked. Misty got up and walked out of the house and he was frozen in place, unable to believe what she'd said. When he heard the door slam, Ash turned around to see that she was really gone and the gravity of the situation hit him. He buried his face in his hands and sobbed._

Delia, who had heard the whole thing, initially thought about scolding Ash for his attitude toward Misty but after seeing her son on the couch crying, she knew he already felt bad enough.

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><p><em>STUPID! IDIOT! RETARD! JACKASS! JERK! BASTARD! PRICK! SHITHEAD! <em>

All these names and more ran through Ash's head as he continually beat himself up for his earlier actions. Pikachu couldn't understand why Ash had done what he did but could see that he was remorseful. Unfortunately, there was nothing the little yellow mouse could do to cheer its trainer up.

"I HATE MYSELF!" He shouted into the pillow he was currently lying down on.

"Ash, please calm down. You're going to make yourself sick if you let your stress go uncontrolled," Delia said.

"I don't care! I'd deserve it anyway. I just drove the girl I love out of my life forever! I repeat, I hate myself!"

"You didn't mean what you said, did you?"

"Of course not! I just…I feel so guilty about not keeping in touch with Misty like I should and everytime she brings it up, I feel even worse. I know she doesn't mean any harm, but it upsets me when she reminds me that I haven't bothered to contact her in months because I know it hurts her. It's like she's rubbing the fact that I hurt her in my face."

"Why didn't you tell her all this instead of getting irate with her?" Delia asked.

"I don't know. I guess I just snapped when she brought it up this time."

"Well, before doing anything else, you need to calm yourself down and stop degrading yourself."

"Maybe you don't understand what just happened. Because I couldn't keep my emotions under control, the only girl I'll ever love walked out that door and out of my life for good! I have every right to degrade myself. I'm a piece of trash!"

"Ash, stop it! You are not the horrible person you think you are. You made a mistake and it can be rectified."

Ash didn't answer and continued to lay there. His mom was wrong. Misty would never forgive him for what he'd said.

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><p>Then, a wondrous thing happened. They say that the Universe is at best apathetic to its inhabitants, not caring about the lives and problems of humans one way or another, and at worst, the Universe is a mischievous, slightly sadistic entity, playing with humans' emotions and generally making life as difficult and strife-ridden as possible, for pure amusement. But in this moment, the Universe seemed to take pity on these two pairs of people in the throes of confusion and heartache. In order to remedy the situation, It took matters into its own (non-existent) hands.<p>

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><p>Back at the Granger dojo, Hilary was watching Tyson's practice match, trying not to focus on the earlier argument and failing.<p>

_Why doesn't he understand that I only want what's best for him? If we're friends, it should be obvious._

No sooner had this thought formed in her head when the sky darkened to literally pitch black. Yet, light still shone on the Granger dojo.

"What's going on? There wasn't a cloud in the sky a second ago," Max said.

In answer to his question, two beams of blue light came down from the heavens and enveloped Tyson and Hilary. The two shared a fearful glance before being transported away.


	2. A Whole New World

Here's the second chapter everyone. Hope you like it. Read & Review.

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><p>The next thing Hilary knew, she was inside of a building that definitely wasn't the Granger dojo. It was much bigger.<p>

"What happened? Where am I?"

Then she remembered that Tyson had been transported too and noticed that he wasn't there.

"Tyson? Are you here?" she called out.

When she got no answer, fear began to grip her. She slowly walked forward and saw two entryways leading in opposite directions. She went through the left door and was met with darkness. After her eyes adjusted, she was able to make out a giant red and white ball insignia in the center of the floor. No one seemed to be inside and there was nothing she could see that indicated where she was so she went into the other room and discovered a gigantic pool. She gasped in awe, never having seen a pool of such size.

"Whoever lives here must love to swim."

Hilary walked around the pool and out another door which lead to a corridor. She walked down and discovered a large aquarium which nearly spanned the length of the hall filled with creatures she'd never seen before. There were starfish with jewels in their center, strange-looking white seals, fishes with horns on their foreheads, what looked like blue seahorses, little heart-shaped creatures, and more.

Hilary looked at the animals with a mixture of fascination and nervousness. She was nearly down the hall when she heard the very faint sound of what she thought was crying, sobbing to be more precise. Curiosity getting the better of her, she turned the corner and saw four closed doors; three on the left and one on the right. The sobbing got louder and it seemed to be coming from the lone door on the right. Very cautiously, Hilary walked over the door and after a few moments, knocked twice.

Through the door, a choked-up girl's voice said, "Daisy, if that's you, go away. I just wanna be left alone right now."

_Who's Daisy? _Hilary thought. She stood there wondering what to do next. She briefly considered leaving the building, but then realized that she had nowhere to go, being in unfamiliar territory. She decided to see if this person could help her figure out where she was.

"Um, my name is Hilary and I'm lost. Whoever you are, can you help me figure out where I am?" she asked.

After a couple minutes of silence, she heard the doorknob turn and the door opened to reveal a red-haired girl wearing a yellow tank-top and blue cut-off pants. Her aqua eyes were red from crying.

"Come on in," she said.

Hilary stepped inside and saw two beds, a normal one and a waterbed. There were posters of some of the creatures she saw in the aquarium earlier on the walls. She went and sat on the regular bed and the red-haired girl sat down next to her.

"You said your name was Hilary? My name is Misty. You're in Cerulean City, specifically, inside the official gym. It's in the Kanto region. I'm the gym leader. How did you get here?"

"Well, this is going to sound crazy, but I was watching a beyblade match when the sky went black and then these two beams of blue light shone down on me and my friend Tyson, and the next thing I knew, I ended up here. I don't know where Tyson is," Hilary said.

Misty looked at Hilary in confusion. It wasn't that she didn't believe the girl's story as plenty of crazier things had happened to her. But she had no idea what a beyblade match was, or what a beyblade was.

"You don't believe me, do you?" Hilary asked.

"No, I believe you. After what I've witnessed in my short time on Earth, I'd be a fool not to. It's just that I don't what a beyblade match is."

Now it was Hilary's turn to be confused. Then she thought about the information Misty had told her. She knew that the Kanto region existed but she never recalled a place named Cerulean City inside of it. Then she remembered the strange creatures she saw in the aquarium.

"Misty, I saw a lot of weird animals in this big aquarium down the hall. What were they?"

"Oh those are all different types of Water pokémon."

"What are Pokémon?" Hilary asked.

"You don't know what Pokémon are?" Hilary shook her head. "How is that possible? They're everywhere you look practically."

Hilary looked even more confused now. She had traveled a good portion of the world with the Bladebreakers and never saw any of those creatures in her life. Then realization hit her. Whatever that light was, it didn't just transport her to a different city; it transported her to a completely different universe.

"Okay, let me explain what I think is going on here because if you didn't think I was crazy before, you will after hearing this. I think that beam of light actually took me to a different universe because I've never seen anything like those creatures in the aquarium in my life."

"Whoa…I guess that would explain why I don't know what a beyblade match is. Let me fill you in on this world and then you tell me about your world."

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><p>Tyson had been transported outside a small house and from what he read on the mailbox, it was the residence of the Ketchum family, whoever they were. After taking in his surroundings (which of course were completely unfamiliar to him), he finally decided to knock on the door of the house, hoping someone could tell him where he was. A young woman with brown hair in a ponytail answered the door.<p>

"Hello. Who are you?" she asked, smiling at Tyson.

"Hi, my name is Tyson Granger and I'm kinda lost. Can you tell me where I am?" he asked.

"You're lost? Well, come inside and I'll help you as much as I can. My name is Delia Ketchum."

Tyson went inside and followed Delia into the kitchen, not noticing the boy and yellow mouse lying on the couch. However, the mouse seemed to sense Tyson's presence and looked at the stranger's retreating back with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion.

After sitting down at the table, Delia gave Tyson a sympathetic smile.

"You're in a place called Pallet Town. It's in the geographical region called Kanto. How did you get lost?"

"I was battling against my friend Max when the sky turned dark. Me and my friend Hilary were surrounded by this blue light and the next thing I know, I'm outside this house and Hilary is gone," Tyson said.

"That's quite a story, but stranger things have happened. Where do you live?" Delia asked.

"Bey City," Tyson answered.

Delia gave him a confused look. "I've never heard of such a place."

"But you said I was in the Kanto region. Bey City is in Tokyo which is in the Kanto region."

"I'm afraid there's no such place as Tokyo or Bey City here."

"Come to think of it, I've never heard of a place called Pallet Town in the Kanto region," Tyson said.

"We seem to be talking about two different Kantos," Delia said. "Tell me, does the Kanto region where you come from have creatures called Pokémon?"

"Pokémon? I've never heard of them, whatever they are."

"Well then, that confirms it. You don't come from this dimension do you?"

"Apparently not. I guess that light must have taken me to a different planet or something."

"Well as long as you're here, why don't you meet my son? He's about your age and I'm sure he'd be happy to meet someone new."

"Alright, sure," Tyson said.

Tyson was lead back into the living room and saw a boy lying on the couch. He had messy black hair which was covered by a white and red cap with an insignia at the top at the looked like a blue ball of some sort. He wore a white jacket and black jeans like Tyson's. Beside him was a little yellow mouse with red cheeks and a lightning bolt shaped tail.

"Honey, this is Tyson Granger. He got lost and ended up in Pallet Town so he's going to be staying with us until he can find a way back home," Delia said.

The boy looked at Tyson and gave a wry smile. "Hi. My name is Ash Ketchum, pokémon trainer and the scum of the earth," he said, the self-directed insult coming off his tongue as if it wasn't anything unusual.

"Ash! What did I say about demeaning yourself?" Delia said sharply.

"Sorry mom, but it's the truth," he said casually.

Delia looked at Tyson and smiled apologetically. "You'll have to forgive Ash. He's in a little bit of a depression right now." She turned back to her son. "Ash, Tyson is from a place where they don't have Pokémon, so why don't you fill him in on how things work around here?"

At this, Ash's head snapped up in curiosity. "You don't know what Pokémon are? Where do you come from?" he asked.

"A different universe than this one. I'll explain later," Tyson said.


	3. Different People, Same Problems

This is the third chapter and where the analysis really begins. I hope you enjoy it. Read & Review like always.

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><p><em>After learning the differences between the two worlds, Tyson and Hilary begin to settle into their (hopefully) temporary new home.<em>

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><p>Now that they knew more about each other's worlds, one filled with creatures called Pokémon, the other filled with beyblades and bit-beasts, Hilary and Misty settled into an uneasy silence. They weren't uncomfortable around each other, but Hilary was apprehensive about asking Misty why she was crying earlier. After all, they'd just met and whatever her issue was, it might have been personal and Hilary didn't want to seem nosy.<p>

"Um, Misty…do you mind if I ask you a question?" Hilary started.

"No. What is it?"

"Well…I heard you crying earlier and that's how I found your room. What was the problem?"

Misty tensed up at the question. Hilary seemed nice enough, but Misty wasn't sure she wanted to share her troubles with someone she barely knew.

_Well, she knows something is wrong and besides, keeping my emotions bottled up never helps matters. I might as well get it off my chest. _Misty thought.

"It's my friend, well, former friend, Ash Ketchum. I went over to his house to wait for him because I knew he was coming home after almost two years of traveling and I wanted to be there to surprise him. I thought he would be happy to see me, but as soon as I mentioned the _fact_ that he didn't get a chance to come to Kanto and visit me, he gets defensive and says that I should be the one to visit him, like he's too busy walking around to take the time to postpone his journey for a day to come see his supposed best friend! He KNOWS I have a responsibility to run the gym and acts like it doesn't matter! He was being a jerk so I told him he was a lousy friend, and in that moment, it was true. He tells me to get out and never come back, so I did. I left and I'm never going back and he's barred from ever coming here again."

Misty tried to hold in the tears that had formed in her eyes at the memory of the event.

"I thought he liked me, cared about me. How can you say that to somebody who you've been best friends with for six years?"

Hilary looked at Misty sympathetically. She knew exactly what Misty was feeling as many of her own arguments with Tyson had played out the same way.

"Misty, has Ash ever said anything like that to you before?" Hilary asked.

"No. I mean we've argued ever since we met, but he's never been that cruel to me before."

"And when you have these arguments, who usually apologizes first?"

"Well usually, Brock or Pikachu breaks the fight up before either of us gets a chance to apologize."

"And how would you describe Ash as a person?"

"That depends. Do you want the good qualities or the bad qualities?"

"Both."

"Well on the bad side, he's a glutton, dense to the point of being downright stupid sometimes, reckless, stubborn, egotistical, has no sense of direction, and I can add incredibly cruel to the list now."

"Okay…what about the good parts?"

Misty sighed before she continued. "He's loyal, can be clever, selfless as much as I hate to admit it, has a great heart, and until today, incredibly kind and supportive of those he considers friends."

Hilary had to keep herself from giggling. It was almost exactly the way she felt about Tyson. "Tyson is almost the same way," she said.

"Really?" Misty asked.

"Yep, and our relationship is the same as yours, filled with arguing and teasing with a few good moments in between."

"Well, it's good to know that there's someone I can relate to. Has Tyson ever said things like that to you?"

"All the time. And I'm not ashamed to say that I would usually cry and run off when it happened."

"Why are you still friends with him? I mean, it only took one time for me to write off Ash as my friend but you say Tyson does this constantly."

"You know, I used to ask myself the same question for years until I realized something that I've never admitted to anyone but myself. I love him."

Misty was bowled over by her statement. It was her situation exactly. "And you don't think he feels the same do you?" she said.

"There's no way. We had an argument right before we came here. Our relationship has always been strained."

"And if Tyson did love you, you two wouldn't fight as much as you do, right?" Misty asked.

"Exactly! I mean, I know fights are gonna happen on occasion, but with us, there's one literally every day, over the stupidest stuff! And it always gets heated, and he ends up saying the most hurtful things. On the rare occasions he is nice, it never lasts and I feel like I can't be nice back because he always goes back to teasing and insulting me regardless of how I respond. If he loved me, why does he seem to love trying to hurt me?" Hilary asked, frustration clear in her voice.

"Hilary…can you keep a secret?" Misty asked.

"Sure."

"I feel the same way about Ash. I'm in love with him…"

Hilary smiled. "I had a feeling you were, from how you described him," she said. "But how can you say that he's your former friend when you still love him?"

"I can't possibly be his friend after what he said to me. He obviously doesn't think of me as his friend so why should I forgive him?"

"Well, you have a point. You said this was the first time he said something that hurt you this much so generally, he must treat you well."

"He did and many times, I don't know why he did," Misty said.

"What do you mean?" Hilary asked.

"Well, to put it simply, I was a bitch to him for most of our childhood. I always initiated the arguments and put him down when there was no reason for it. But what he said to me today was completely uncalled for!"

"You're right, it wasn't called for. If he calls or comes to apologize, if he's really remorseful, will you forgive him?" Hilary asked.

"…I don't know if I can…" Misty said.

"Well, think about it," Hilary told her. "If you love him, you should be willing to give him the benefit of the doubt especially in light of the fact that he's usually nice to you."

"Alright."

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><p>Tyson and Ash were up in Ash's room and they were just making small talk about their respective interests and similarities to each other. Ash was beginning to feel better, having found someone so similar to him.<p>

"Hey Tyson, you said that you came here with a girl named Hilary right? If you don't know where she is, aren't you worried?" Ash asked.

"Not really. Hilary's a strong girl; wherever she is, I'm sure she's alright," Tyson said.

Ash looked at him in surprise. "Tyson, I wouldn't be so dismissive if I were you. There is danger in this world. She could've ended up inside Lavender Tower and is surrounded by angry Ghost pokémon, she could've ended up lost in Viridian Forest and got poisoned by a Beedrill, she could've gotten trapped in Cerulean Cave and got attacked by a Rhydon or a Gyarados."

Tyson slowly narrowed his eyes at Ash. "Thanks man, now I actually AM worried!" he said angrily.

"Oh and you weren't before? You sure don't seem to care about her very much!" Ash said, now glaring as well.

"Well maybe I don't want to dwell on the negative and worry about bad things happening to her. Maybe it's just easier for me to assume that she's fine. Ever think of that?"

"Since you have no idea where she is, I think it's incredibly STUPID for you not to show at least a little concern! Why would it be easier for you to assume she's alright when common sense should tell you that may not be true?"

"Because it scares me to think otherwise alright?" he yelled. Ash was taken aback by this outburst and now he could see real fear in Tyson's expression behind the angry façade.

"It scares me…I don't like to think about her being hurt or in any kind of danger so I convince myself that nothing bad will happen to her."

"I understand the possibility of anything happening to her scares you, but fooling yourself into thinking she's invincible does no good. You need to look out for her well-being as best you can. And part of that is finding out where she is right now and making sure she's alright," Ash said.

Tyson sighed. "You're right…you know, I don't get why you called yourself the scum of the earth earlier. You seem to be a really good friend."

Ash's despondent expression returned instantly. "No, I'm a bad friend, a really bad friend. I lashed out at one of my best friends for no reason and now she's decided that she's never gonna see me again…"

"What did you say to her?" Tyson asked.

"I basically told her that I didn't want to see her ever again and she took it to heart. She said she would never visit me again and told me that I wasn't allowed in the gym anymore. I know we argue a lot, but I've never been that nasty to her before…Misty was right, I am a lousy friend."

"No you're not. If that's the worst you've ever said to her, then you're a saint compared to me," Tyson said.

"What are you talking about?"

"Hilary and I argue a lot too, but the difference is that I've said much worse to her more than once."

"Like what?" Ash asked as if challenging Tyson.

"Calling her a witch, a female dog if you know what I mean, constantly telling her that she was useless, that we didn't want her on the team, that she was nothing but a pathetic straggler with no real friends, and the list goes on," Tyson said looking away from Ash as he finished, ashamed of admitting how badly he treated someone that he was supposed to care about.

Ash looked at Tyson shocked. The bluenette was right, he did treat Hilary badly. "If you two are still friends, she must have the patience of a saint. If you care about her, why are you so mean to her?"

"Once we got into middle school, she got overbearing and seemed to direct her bad attitude toward me because I didn't take school as seriously as she did. Our relationship went south and it wasn't until a year ago that she started being nicer."

"Well, I can sympathize since Misty can be pretty overbearing herself, but if Hilary has been nicer in the past year, why do you keep treating her like crap?"

"Because….it's the only way I can get her to notice me. I know that sounds stupid, but I know she still thinks of me as a lazy idiot who only cares about a spinning tops game. When I try to be nice, she doesn't respond. It's as if I can't get her to _like _me. I don't _enjoy_ making her angry but at least she responds to it. When I'm nice, it's like she doesn't care."

"If you only act cruel to get her attention, that means you're not serious when you say all those hurtful things to her, right?"

"Of course I'm not serious. But that doesn't matter because I always take it too far and make her cry..."

"Why?" Ash asked.

"Because the arguments always get heated. It's my fault really, because I hate having my pride attacked and I end up lashing out."

"Between you and me, I have the same problem. When Misty and I used to argue as kids, insults would fly because I hated her constantly commenting on my faults, even if what she said was true. In fact, that's why I'm in my current predicament, because I got angry with her when she stated a fact, that I didn't visit her while I was traveling. I feel horrible about it and when she brings it up, I feel even worse. When she did it earlier today, I snapped and…well, you know the rest."

"I guess we both need to work on not taking everything personally," Tyson said.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Ash agreed.

"Have you apologized to Misty for what you said?" Tyson asked.

"She'll never forgive me, so why should I bother?" Ash asked, looking down.

"Ash, I firmly believe that I must have done something to earn God's favor because that's the only way I can explain how Hilary is still my friend after all the crap I put her through. Compared to me, what you did was nothing so trust me when I say, Misty WILL forgive you," Tyson said, smiling at Ash. "You know where she is, so give her a call and let her know you're sorry."

"…I guess I could at least give it a try," he said softly. He looked up at Tyson and gave a soft smile. "Thanks for the pep talk Tyson. I needed it."

"No problem," he said, returning the smile.


	4. Reunion & Reconciliation

Here's the fourth chapter and after this, there will be some action in the story so you won't have to deal with so much dialogue. I hope you like this chapter anyway. Read & Review.

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><p>Ash was now in the kitchen, with the phone in his hand, trying to muster up the courage to call the Cerulean City Gym. He felt a tugging on his pant leg and glanced down to see Pikachu, looking at him with an encouraging smile on its face.<p>

"Pika-pika," it said. Ash, who had come to understand much of his buddy's language over the years, knew that to mean, "Go ahead."

With this small surge of confidence, Ash finally punched in the numbers and waited for the call to go through. About thirty seconds later, he heard a female voice answer the phone.

"Hello, you've reached the Cerulean City Gym," the voice said.

Ash immediately knew that it _wasn't_ Misty who was on the phone, nor did it sound like any of her sisters.

"Um, I'm trying to reach Misty Waterflower. Is she in?" Ash asked.

There was a period of silence before the voice answered, "One moment please."

_What's going on? Who is that girl and why is she in the gym? _Ash thought.

After waiting for almost five minutes, Ash was getting ready to hang up when he heard Misty's voice on the line, and she didn't sound happy.

"What do you want Ash?" she asked.

"Look Misty, I was an absolute jerk to you and I'm sorry. I didn't mean a word of what I said. I couldn't stand it if I never saw you again," Ash said.

"Then why did you act that way earlier today?"

"Because I have a fragile ego, a thick head, and a big mouth."

"Thanks for stating the obvious, but that doesn't answer my question," she said with a hint of anger in her voice.

"Listen, when you said that I didn't visit you during the whole time I was in Sinnoh, I knew it was the truth and that you didn't mean anything by it, but still…it hurt. It hurt because I felt really guilty for not visiting you or contacting you more often and I know it upset you too. See, I knew that I was hurting you by not doing more to stay in touch and when you reminded me of the fact that I didn't visit you, it felt like you were throwing my making you feel bad back in my face. That's why I got angry."

Misty was silent for several moments to digest all that she was told. Ash continued before she could answer.

"When you said I was a lousy friend, I lashed out because it seemed like you were dismissing all the good times we had together but also because…I knew that in some ways, you were right and I didn't want to admit it. I mean, I never bothered to even call you in all the time I was away and then when you come to see me, I act like a first-class jackass."

Misty still didn't say anything and Ash was beginning to think she'd put the phone down or simply walked away.

"Misty? Are you still there? Please, say something!"

"…Why didn't you tell me any of this before?" she finally asked. "Why didn't you say how you felt instead of yelling at me?"

"Misty, you know I'm not good with words or emotions. I wasn't thinking. I'm really sorry for how I acted. You know I would never do anything to hurt you intentionally."

"Well, what you said certainly didn't sound like an accident!" she told him.

"I didn't mean it, any of it! I was an idiot, a total bastard! I'm sorry! I don't wanna lose our friendship, lose you. Please forgive me Misty." He was on the verge of tears at this point. "Please…"

There was a moment of silence and then a sigh over the phone. "…Alright Ash, I forgive you," she said.

Ash smiled. "Thank you…I'll never be that nasty toward you again, I promise."

"That's a promise you'd better make sure you keep," she told him.

"You can count on it," he said firmly.

"Well, I'm glad to hear it. I guess I'll talk to you later." she said.

"So…we're still friends right? Just so I'm clear?" he asked nervously.

Misty giggled. "Yes Ash, we're still friends."

"Good. I'll talk to you later. Bye," Ash said.

"Bye Ash."

There was a click and then a dial-tone and Ash knew she had hung up.

"I love you Mist…" he said softly, still smiling. He put the phone back on the receiver and headed back up to his room.

* * *

><p>"So, how did it go?" Tyson asked once Ash had returned.<p>

"You were right. We're friends again," Ash said, grinning.

"That's great!" Tyson said, grinning back.

"Something weird happened when I called the gym though. The voice that answered the phone wasn't Misty and it wasn't any of her sisters."

"Was the voice male or female?" Tyson asked.

"It was definitely a girl's voice," Ash answered. "Maybe it was Hilary. Of course, I wouldn't know since I've never met her."

"You may be right. Would you mind calling the gym again and seeing if she's over there?"

"I could give you the number so you can call and see for yourself," Ash said.

"Alright."

* * *

><p>Misty had told Hilary of Ash's call and apology.<p>

"I'm really happy for you," Hilary said.

"Thanks. Even if Ash doesn't have feelings for me, it means a lot that he wants to preserve our friendship."

"I've been meaning to ask this, but do you mind if I go for a swim in that big pool?"

"Of course you can. In fact, I'll swim with you. I could use a dip in the water after the rough day I've had. Afterwards, we'll eat dinner, watch TV for a while and then go to bed."

"Sounds good."

"You can sleep in the regular bed and I'll sleep on the waterbed," Misty said. "You go ahead and get in the water and I'll join you after I change into my bathing suit."

Hilary nodded and then left the room. Misty went into her closet and took a couple of minutes to change. Just as she was about to leave for the pool, the phone rang in her room. She looked at the caller ID and saw that the call came from Pallet Town. Assuming it was Ash, she hurriedly answered and heard an unfamiliar male voice on the other end.

"Hello? Is this the Cerulean City Gym?" the voice asked.

"Yes it is. Who may I ask is calling?" Misty asked.

"My name is Tyson and I was wondering if a girl named Hilary Tatibana was in the building."

_Tyson? He must be the boy Hilary came here with. _"Yes, Hilary's here but I'm afraid she's not available right now. She's swimming in the pool here and I was just about to join her. I'll tell her to call you back."

"But I wanna talk to her now!" Tyson said.

"I think you'll live," Misty said. She hung up the phone and went to join Hilary.

* * *

><p>After a couple of races across the pool (both of which Misty won) and a splash-fight, Misty and Hilary were now floating next to each other, just relaxing.<p>

"Hey Hilary, I just thought of something. You said that you and Tyson had gotten into an argument before you were transported here. What was the argument about?" Misty asked.

"Well, beybladers have to train regularly in order to improve and maintain their skill level. The World Championship Tournament had concluded a week ago and Tyson had made an agreement with Hiro, Kai, and myself, that everyone, excluding me since I don't beyblade, would begin training exactly one week after the tournament. That day fell on a Sunday and normally, the team gets the weekends off from training but since everyone had agreed to the new arrangement, they had to get up in the morning to start practicing. Tyson decided that he wanted to back out of the deal and I wouldn't let him so we argued."

"Did he end up having to practice?" Misty asked.

"Yeah, he gave in. He and everyone else got the previous week off and they needed to start training again so they could get back up to their optimum level. Tyson gets angry with me because I harp on him so much about training but I only do it because I want him to be at his best. I'm trying to help him. It's my job as his coach and I feel, my duty as his friend. But he doesn't seem to appreciate it and it's so frustrating."

"I understand completely. Ash was the same way when he was younger. He was starting out on his pokémon journey and since I was a gym leader, I knew a lot more than him. I tried to help him out at first, but he was so stubborn. Eventually, I just let him make mistakes and learn on his own."

"Tyson was a professional at beyblading before I came along. I'm only there to make sure he doesn't get lazy and his skills end up diminishing. Well, that and cheer him on in his battles. It's what I'm able to do since I don't beyblade myself and I just wish that it meant something to him, but apparently it doesn't. The only time he shows any form of appreciation for me being on the team is when he thanks me for congratulating him after he's won a tournament and even that happens only occasionally."

"Oh, I almost forgot. Tyson called here looking for you right before I came down here," Misty said.

"Really? I guess I should call him back and let him know I'm okay…"

"No, you can call him back later after we eat. Relax for a little while."

* * *

><p>Later that night, Hilary was just about ready to go to bed and she called the Ketchum residence (Misty provided the phone number), hoping that Tyson hadn't gone to sleep already. The phone only rang once and then she heard Tyson's voice.<p>

"Hello?" He sounded excited.

"Hey Tyson, it's Hilary," she said.

"Hilary! I was beginning to think you wouldn't call back. I've been waiting by the phone for over four hours. Are you okay?"

Hilary was surprised by his statement to say the least, but kept calm. "I'm fine. What about you?"

"I'm okay too. I know it's late, so I'll make this quick. I wanna see you and I know Ash wants to see Misty too so how about you and her come over to Ash's house tomorrow?"

"Well Misty is still up, so hold on and let me ask her," Hilary said.

After a couple minutes, Tyson heard Hilary's voice again. "She says that since Ash's house is a lot smaller than the gym, it would be better if you and Ash came over here instead."

"That's fine with me. Ash is already asleep, so I'll have to tell him in the morning. Goodnight Hil."

"Goodnight Tyson."


	5. Alone Time

Hi guys. This is the fifth chapter. Since the last one focused more on Ash & Misty, I wanted this one to focus more on Tyson & Hilary. I warn you, there are sexual references in this chapter so if you're bothered by that, then don't read any further. For the rest of you, I hope you enjoy it and please review!

* * *

><p>The next morning at the Ketchum house, Tyson told Ash of his conversation with Hilary and their plans to go the Cerulean Gym. Ash was just as happy as his new friend was about the trip and they both got ready quickly.<p>

"So Ash, how far away is Cerulean City from Pallet Town?" Tyson asked once they were outside.

"Pretty far when you consider that you have to pass through a winding forest and a large cave. But don't worry, I know a way to get there in no time!"

"How's that?" Tyson asked.

"Luckily, I took out Charizard before coming to the house yesterday," Ash said.

He took off a pokeball and threw it at the ground. The ball opened up and a white light burst out and took the form of the dragon-like pokémon. Tyson looked at the creature in awe. Sure it wasn't as big or majestic as Dragoon, but still, the lizard was impressive.

"Tyson, meet Charizard. Charizard, meet Tyson," Ash said.

The lizard narrowed its eyes at Tyson and let out a low growl. Charizard may have calmed down over the years but it was still wary of strangers and as far as it was concerned, everyone was a stranger except for Ash, Ash's mother Delia, Misty, who it assumed was Ash's mate, May, Max and Brock.

"I don't think he likes me," Tyson said, looking extremely nervously at Charizard.

"Charizard doesn't like strangers. It's okay, I'll handle it. Charizard, this is a new friend. He's a good guy so you can trust him. Now listen, I want you to fly Tyson and I to Cerulean City so we can see Misty and Hilary, okay?"

Charizard perked up at the mention of Misty. It nodded and then motioned for Tyson to come over. Tyson cautiously went over to the fire dragon. Charizard bent down and beckoned Ash and Tyson to get on. Ash went first with Tyson sitting right behind him. Tyson wrapped his arms around Ash's waist so he wouldn't slip off, just as a precaution. Riding this thing wasn't the same as riding Dragoon and he had only done that once.

"You don't mind, do you?" Tyson asked.

"No, I don't mind. But you don't really need to hang onto me. Just keep your hands on Charizard's body to steady yourself," Ash told him.

"Well, this is my first time doing this, so I'd feel safer if I had something to hold on to. It'll be just this one time," Tyson said.

"Alright Charizard, are you ready?" Ash asked the pokémon.

Charizard gave a growl of approval and took off.

* * *

><p>Hilary and Misty were waiting by the pool for the boys.<p>

"When do you think they'll be here?" Hilary asked.

"That depends on the method of travel that they use. If they use bikes, they may not be here for a few hours. If Ash uses one of his flying pokémon, they could be here in one or two hours. Of course, we don't know when they left so there's really no way to know for sure," Misty said.

"Once they get here, you and Ash can catch up or do whatever it is you wanna do because I'm going to talk to Tyson and see if we can figure out how to get home."

"That's fine. Maybe Ash and I can help."

"Thanks for the offer, but until we know what it is we're dealing with, I'd rather not get anyone else involved."

Then they heard the doorbell ring.

"Is that them? It's only 9:30," Hilary said.

"Ash must have used Charizard or Pidgeot," Misty said.

They went to the door and sure enough, Ash and Tyson stood there. Ash beamed upon seeing Misty.

"Hey Mist!"

"Hi Ash. How did you get here?" Misty asked.

"I used Charizard," he answered.

"I figured as much." Misty turned to Tyson. "You must be Tyson," she said.

"And this must be Hilary," Ash said, gesturing toward her.

"Come on inside," Misty said.

The boys nodded and followed Hilary and Misty.

"Ash, why don't you come to my room? We can catch up properly."

"Sure," he said.

The two went on their way and once they were gone, Hilary turned to Tyson.

"Tyson, you and I need to talk," she said.

"About what?" he asked.

"How we're going to get back to our own universe," she answered.

"Why the hurry to leave? This place is really fascinating."

"I agree, it's very interesting but you don't want to be stuck here forever, do you?"

"No."

"Well, unless we figure out how to get home, that's what's gonna happen."

"I see your point…how do you propose we go about this?" Tyson asked.

"I think the first thing we have to do is determine if we were taken here at random or if there's some purpose in all this," Hilary said.

"Well, my first question would be why we were the only ones surrounded by those beams. Why not the whole team?"

"Good point. Plus, we were taken to different places in this world. We were transported together, why not appear here together?"

"Maybe it has something to do with where exactly we were taken to. I mean I ended up right outside Ash's house."

"And I ended inside the Cerulean Gym. Those are oddly specific locations. If were taken here at random, why not be appear together in the same spot instead of being separated?"

"You know, I just thought of something else. Ash told me that this place can be really dangerous with all the different pokémon around. We were transported to places where we would be relatively safe. If this was a random thing, we could've just as easily been taken to a place where we were in danger," Tyson said.

"You're right. Well, I think we can conclude that this wasn't random chance. We were sent here for a reason," Hilary said.

"But why?" Tyson asked.

"I don't know. But I think that once we have an answer to that question, we'll know how to get home."

"Well, while we're here, how about you show me around this place?" Tyson asked.

"Alright," she said.

* * *

><p>Hilary showed him the gym battle room, the aquarium and the pool. Hilary was getting ready to leave the pool area, but Tyson took hold of her arm to prevent her from doing so.<p>

"Tyson, what are you doing?" Hilary asked as she turned to face him.

He simply smiled shyly. "Wanna go for a swim?"

Hilary paused for a moment in thought. "Well, I do love this pool. Alright. Let me see if Misty and Ash want to swim too."

"I was thinking it could be just the two of us…" Tyson said, now blushing slightly.

Hilary began to blush as well. "I-I suppose…wait a minute, we don't have any swim clothes. We came here with the clothes we have on now."

"So? I've got boxer shorts on and I'm sure you've swam in your underwear before."

"I don't know…"

"Come on Hil, you can trust me and there's no reason to be embarrassed."

"Well…okay," she said.

They turned from each other and took off their clothes. Hilary jumped into the pool from the side while Tyson climbed up to the diving board.

"Cannonball!" he shouted.

He jumped off, flipped over and then curled himself into a ball before hitting the water. Once he came back up, Tyson saw Hilary giving him a playful glare.

"You can never get into a pool normally can you?" she asked.

"Oh come on, you can't tell me you don't like seeing me make my grand entrance!" he said.

"I guess I'd be lying if I said that I didn't find them amusing," she admitted.

"So, what have you been doing here?" Tyson asked.

"Nothing much. Just talking to Misty and getting to know her," Hilary said.

"Same with me and Ash. What were you talking about?"

"I'd rather not say. It's kind of a personal matter for Misty and I'd like to keep it that way."

"That's okay."

They floated next to each other for a few moments not saying anything. Then Hilary recalled the activities she did with Misty the day before.

"Hey Tyson, I bet I can beat you to the other side of the pool," she said suddenly.

Tyson smirked. "Oh really? You're on!"

The two were off and ended up reaching the end of the pool at the same time.

"Best two out of three," Tyson said.

"Alright. Ready, set, go!" Hilary said before taking off.

The next two races ended with one win each.

"I guess we tie," Hilary said.

"I guess so. But I bet you'll be wetter than me by the time we get out of the pool."

"Why is that?" Hilary asked.

Tyson responded by splashing her in the face.

"That's why!" he said smirking.

"You!" Hilary began to swim away from Tyson.

"Oh no you don't!"Tyson said as he went after her.

Hilary stopped and turned to face the bluenette. Tyson stopped as well, confused at her actions. Without saying a word, Hilary tackled Tyson and they both went underwater. Tyson broke free and swam away while Hilary came back up to the surface.

"Got you back," she muttered to herself, smirking.

She began to swim to the nearest end of the pool but before she could reach it, she felt herself being pulled back underwater. Looking down, she saw Tyson smiling with his hands on her legs. Hilary dove down and pushed him away then swam away from him. Tyson chased after her and grabbed her around her waist before pulling them both back to the surface.

"Looks like I've got you," Tyson said.

Hilary turned around and glared at him before breaking into a small smile. "I guess you do," she said.

Tyson was silent for several moments and just stared at her smiling face.

_Well, there's one reason why I like her. She's pretty. _He thought, breaking into a smile of his own.

His mind began to wander from her face to the curves that were beginning to show on her body which he had seen up close when she pushed him into the water the first time. Especially her legs which felt surprisingly smooth to the touch when he grabbed them. And he couldn't help but notice while chasing her that she had a nice butt too.

_Okay, strike pretty, she's downright sexy._

Then he felt an all too familiar sensation in his boxer shorts and his eyes widened. _Oh no... _He had to use every ounce of self control to keep from blushing furiously.

"Tyson, are you okay?" Hilary asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said smiling sheepishly.

"Are you sure? You seem tense," she said.

_You don't know the half of it_ Tyson thought

Unfortunately for Tyson, due to his close proximity to Hilary, she felt it when he became fully erect and gasped in shock. Knowing what had most likely caused her reaction, it was then that Tyson appreciated just how close he was to Hilary.

_Oh shit…_

"Um…Tyson, are you…?" she couldn't finish, too shocked to ask the question.

Tyson only nodded, his whole face red with embarrassment.

"So…what does this mean?" she asked.

He was caught off guard by the question. "I…I guess it means that I'm attracted to you…" he said.

"Should I think of that as a good thing or a bad thing?"

"Well, I hope you think of it as a good thing. I do." He smiled at her again.

"You know what? I think I do too…"

"I'm glad…"

Tyson and Hilary were leaning closer to each other during this exchange. Their eyes fluttered closed and just before their lips touched, two astonished gasps were heard. The pair opened their eyes and turned to the direction of the sound to see Ash and Misty, both looking at them in shock. Blushing deeply, Tyson and Hilary had the same thought in their heads as they looked at the other pair.

_Oh crap_


	6. Understanding

Hi everyone. I know I haven't updated this story in a while, so for the people who are waiting for updates, I apologize. Anyway, here's the sixth chapter. I hope you enjoy it. Read & Review.

* * *

><p>Once they were dry and dressed again, Tyson and Hilary avoided Ash and Misty as well as each other, refusing to talk about what happened in the pool. By the time it was twilight, Misty had had enough. She found Ash and brought him into the lobby with her.<p>

"We have to do something about this. Whatever happened between them is obviously upsetting them," Misty said.

"Shouldn't we just let them handle it themselves? I mean, it _was_ kinda our fault since we barged in on them, " Ash said.

"Ash, they've had all day to talk it out by themselves and they've barely spoken since this morning. If we don't get them to address this, they never will."

"Well we should at least apologize to them to set them at ease."

"I guess you're right."

"Where are they?" Ash asked.

"Tyson is sitting in the stands in the stadium and I don't know where Hilary is," Misty answered.

"You find Hilary and I'll talk to Tyson," Ash said.

Misty nodded and walked into the pool area while Ash went into the battle room.

* * *

><p>Ash found Tyson sitting on the bottom rung of the left set of stands. Going over and sitting next to him, Ash put a hand on Tyson's shoulder. The bluenette turned to Ash and after a moment, gave a heavy sigh and looked back at the floor.<p>

"Look Tyson, I'm sorry for embarrassing you and Hilary like that, and so is Misty."

Tyson turned to Ash again. "It's okay…"

Despite what he said, Tyson's expression was just as downcast as before.

"You're not okay though. What's wrong?" Ash asked.

Tyson hesitated before answering. "It's just…yeah, what happened was embarrassing and you two barging in at the worst possible moment certainly didn't help matters, but-do you remember what I said about not being able to get Hilary to like me?"

"Yeah."

"Well, what happened in the pool seemed to say otherwise, that she _does _like me, but after we got dressed, she didn't say anything to me and seemed to be purposely avoiding me. I don't know what to do. Does she know she's driving me nuts by giving these mixed signals?"

"Tyson, why are you so concerned about her liking you? I thought she was your friend. Shouldn't she already like you?" Ash asked.

Tyson didn't answer and looked away from Ash again. Ash knew then that there was something that he wasn't divulging. "Tyson, what's really going on here?"

"I want to know that she likes me so that I know where our relationship stands."

"What do you mean?"

He turned back to Ash. "I mean that I don't want her to _just _like me. I wanna be more than friends with her. I want…I want her to _love_ me…like I love her…"

Ash's eyes widened in shock. "You love her?"

"Yeah and that's why this whole situation is so frustrating. We fight practically every day so half the time I'm not even sure we're friends. Today, we had fun and not only did it feel like she was my friend, it seemed like she felt the same way about me that I do about her. I mean, earlier today in the pool, if you and Misty had come in five seconds later, we would've kissed, but now she's pulling away from me."

"Tyson, to be honest, I'm not the best person to ask when it comes to stuff like this, but I can say I know how you feel as far as what it's like to be in love," Ash said.

"You do?"

"Yeah. I know because I love Misty."

"How long have you felt that way?" Tyson asked.

"Four years at least. What about you?"

"Almost two years."

"Well, all I can say is that if you really care about your relationship with her, you'll make the first move and talk to her to see where you stand," Ash said.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Misty had found Hilary leaning on the wall looking at the aquarium.<p>

"You okay Hilary?" Misty asked.

"No, I'm not," Hilary said, not taking her eyes of the aquarium.

"What happened?"

"Tyson asked me if I wanted to go swimming with him in the pool, just the two of us. I said yes. We chased each other, raced across the pool and generally had a good time. Then…he was holding me, really close…and I felt him…get hard…"

Hilary was blushing like mad upon saying the last part and Misty blushed as well, having no idea that _that_ was what she and Ash had walked in on.

"Hilary, I am so sorry for me and Ash walking in on you two like that. I had no idea-"

"It's okay. That's not what I'm upset about."

"Oh? Well, what's the problem?"

This time, Hilary turned to face Misty. "For the last two years, Tyson's gone out of his way to tell me that as far as he's concerned, I'm a burden to him and the team and I figured that was what he really thought of me. Then today, he gets an erection while I'm in his arms and tells me that he's sexually attracted to me! How the hell am I supposed to respond to _that_?" she asked, frustration clear in her voice.

"Good question," Misty said. "You two looked like you were about to kiss when I saw you. Maybe this is a sign that he does like you."

"Then how do I reconcile that with our constant arguing? What if it was just a heat-of-the-moment kind of thing and not due to any supposed feelings he has for me?" Hilary asked.

"I don't know. Why don't you ask him? Talk to him and tell him how you feel about the situation. You can use Daisy's bedroom if you need privacy."

"What am I supposed to say?"

"You don't have to tell him you love him, just tell him your concerns about what happened," Misty said.

Hilary sighed. "I guess I can't avoid it forever. I'd better go find him."

She went into the pool area and found Tyson on the other side of the room. They stared at each other for a few moments, afraid to break the silence. Hilary spoke first.

"Tyson, come with me," she said.

Tyson nodded and walked over to her then they both went into Daisy's bedroom.

* * *

><p>Once they got settled, an awkward silence ensued. Tyson began to get frustrated and gave Hilary an annoyed look.<p>

"So what did you want me for?" he asked, sounding harsher than he meant to.

"I wanted to talk about what happened earlier today," Hilary said.

Tyson was silent again for a moment before responding. "What about it?"

"I just wonder what I'm supposed to take away from it."

"What do you mean? I told you I was attracted to you. What about that is hard to understand?"

"I'm not just talking about the erection. I mean the whole situation. The erection, the almost kiss, the fun we had earlier today. I don't know what it means in the context of our relationship."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Tyson asked, sounding angrier every time he spoke.

"Alright Tyson, I guess I have to spell it out for you, again! What are we doing right now?"

"We're talking. What kind of stupid question is that?"

"No jackass, we're FIGHTING, like we ALWAYS do! That's what I mean by the context of our relationship. We always argue, fight, yell, and insult each other. Then earlier today, it was a complete one-eighty. How am I supposed to reconcile that? What am I supposed to think when the way you acted today is completely different from how you usually treat me?"

Tyson's eyes narrowed even more at Hilary. "You think I'M giving mixed signals? What about you? You complain about how I treat you, but when I try to be nice, you brush me off!"

"Oh, you TRY to be nice? Here's a thought Tyson; instead of TRYING to be nice, you could go the extra mile every once in a while and actually BE nice! Has there ever been a day that you HAVEN'T insulted me in some way or played some stupid prank on me? Even when you're 'nice', you can never go without trying to hurt me somehow. And you wonder why I don't respond?"

"So now you're saying that I can't even tease you because you'll interpret it as me trying to hurt you? Hilary, grow a thicker skin."

"There's a difference between friendly teasing and being purposely offensive you asshole and you'd do well to learn it!"

"God, it's like I can't do anything right in your eyes! What the hell do you want from me?" Tyson asked in frustration.

"I want-I want to know that I matter to you!" she yelled.

Tyson was so shocked by the answer that his retort died on his lips. "What? Hil, we've known each other since childhood. How can you think you don't matter to me?" he asked, truly hurt by her statement.

"Do you really need to ask that question? For the last two years, all I've heard from you is that you think I'm useless, that I don't belong on the team because I don't beyblade, that the only reason I'm there is out of pity because I'm too much of a bitch to have any real friends, and I can't count how many times you've insulted my physical appearance. What else am I supposed to think?

Tyson hung his head. He had no idea that she actually took what he said to heart. "Do you really believe that's what I think of you?"

"Yes Tyson, I do. Hell, I'm surprised you haven't come right out and said that you hate me!"

Tyson head shot up at that comment. "Hilary, I know I've been a jerk to you but you should know that I could never, EVER hate you. And all those times I said you were useless or that you didn't belong on the team? I lied. That's not what I think of you at all."

"Oh really? Well, I've never gotten the indication that you appreciate what I do for the team, so you'll understand if I'm skeptical as to the truth of what you just said."

"What? Look Hil, I know I don't _say _I appreciate you as much as I probably should-"

"As much as you should? Tyson, you've NEVER said you appreciated me being on the team! In fact, you constantly bitch at me for making you train."

"That's because you almost never let up. I hate being pressured and that's what you do."

"Well I'm sorry you feel pressured but like I told you before we came here, the reason I push you and the others so hard is because I want you to be at your best, not just because I'm a coach but because, believe it or not, I want you to win your matches because I consider you a friend. I wish you understood and appreciated that, but you obviously don't."

"Yes I do! Why do you think I battle so hard whenever I compete in a tournament?"

"Because you want to win and keep your title?"

"Well, duh! But that's not the only reason. I want to show that the training I go through has paid off and that I've been taking it seriously. I wanna show the people that push me so hard that even though I may not like it, I appreciate the effort they put into training me. That includes Kai, Kenny, Hiro and especially _you_. I battle as hard as I do because I want you to be proud of me."

Hilary was stunned. She had no idea battling meant that much to him or that it involved her at all. "Tyson, I _am_ proud of you. I thought that was clear from all the times I congratulated you on winning."

"And I thought you knew that I appreciated what you do for the team from the way I beyblade. Kai and Hiro understood it. Why not you?"

"Well, you make it abundantly clear that you _value_ their places on the team while you went out of your way to tell me that I didn't _have_ a place on the team every chance you got. You've almost never given me any indication that my role in the Bladebreakers matters to you so how am I supposed to know otherwise? Do you get it now?"

Tyson sighed. "Yeah, I get it and I'm sorry."

"Thank you."

There was an awkward silence between them as neither knew what to say next. Tyson spoke first.

"You remember how you said that I always insulted how you look?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, the fact that I got hard today thinking about you should tell you that any insult I said to you was bullcrap and that I _really _like the way you look," he said, smirking.

"Yes, I know that now. And truthfully, I think you're very attractive too."

"You know, I had a really good time with you today," he said, smiling at her.

"Likewise," she said, smiling back at him.

"Hey, you wanna see a movie before we hit the hay?"

Hilary giggled. "It almost sounds like you're asking me out on a date."

"Well, I'm not. But if you wanted to go on a date sometime, I wouldn't complain."

"Sure, I'll watch a movie. I'll take a rain check on that date."

"Great. You find a movie we'll both like and I'll make some popcorn."

"Oh no, I'm making the popcorn. You always burn it."

Tyson pouted. "Oh alright, fine."

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><p>When Hilary was going back with the bowl of popcorn, Misty happened across her as she was going to close down the gym.<p>

"Hey Hilary, what's the popcorn for?" she asked.

"Oh Tyson and I are watching a movie together," Hilary answered.

Misty smiled. Apparently, they had worked things out. "Really? That's great. Enjoy the movie."

Misty watched Hilary go and continued to smile to herself before she turned and walked down the hall toward the pool area.


	7. Team Rocket's Attack: Part 1

Hi everyone. I know it's been a long time since I've updated or posted anything on this site and I apologize. Writer's block and life and all that. Anyway, here's the seventh chapter of my crossover story. Hope you enjoy it. Read & Review.

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><p>The next day, Misty invited Tyson and Hilary (and Ash too of course) to watch one of her gym battles so they could learn more about Pokémon. The first challenger arrived in the late afternoon, a young girl with brown hair in pig-tails.<p>

"Hi. What's your name?" Ash asked her.

"My name is Amanda and I'm here to battle the Cerulean City Gym leader!"

"Well, I'm not the leader, my friend is. I'll take you to the stadium."

"You're a friend of the gym leader?" she asked in awe.

"Yep, one of her best friends as a matter of fact. My name is Ash Ketchum."

"Ash Ketchum? I know you. You won the Kanto Battle Frontier didn't you?"

"Yeah, that's me," he said proudly.

"Why are you staying here?" she asked.

"I'm taking a break from traveling and decided to visit. Anyway, you have a battle to attend to."

He led her to the stadium and Misty was waiting on the other side of the field on a platform. A pool had formed across the length of the field space for Misty's pokémon. Amanda got on the platform on the opposite side.

"I'm Misty Waterflower, the Cerulean City Gym leader."

"I'm Amanda and I've come to challenge you for the Cascade Badge!"

"Well, we'll see if you get it. Ash, would you like to be the referee?"

"Sure! " He raised his right hand. "This will be a three on three battle with no time limit. Ready? Start!"Ash brought his hand down to signal them to start.

"Go, Butterfree!" Amanda said as she threw a pokeball.

A white light shot out from the ball and a butterfly emerged.

"Alright, then I'll choose Dewgong!" Misty said as she threw her own pokeball.

The white seal appeared in the water.

"Butterfree, Sleep Powder!"

The blue butterfly began to flap its wings and a fine blue powder appeared, heading toward Dewgong.

"Dewgong, go underwater," Misty commanded.

The seal dove and Butterfree's attack missed.

"Is she allowed to do that?" Hilary asked, watching the battle from the stands.

"Sure. You're allowed to do whatever is within your Pokemon's ability," Ash said.

Dewgong resurfaced. "Alright Dewgong, use Aurora Beam!"

Dewgong's horn glowed and as its namesake implied an aurora-colored beam shot out toward Butterfree.

"Dodge it Butterfree!"

Unfortunately, the attack was coming too fast for Butterfree to dodge and it was hit nearly head on. It fell to the ground and fainted immediately.

"Oh no. Butterfree, come back!"Amanda said. A red light enveloped the pokémon and it was sucked back inside the pokeball.

"Why did Butterfree go down so quickly?" Tyson asked.

"Aurora Beam is an ice-based attack, and Butterfree is part flying type," Ash said.

"And Ice pokémon are strong against Flying-type pokémon right?" Hilary asked.

"Right, but Misty's pokémon are probably quite a bit stronger than Amanda's so level difference plays a role too," Ash answered.

"Alright, my next pokémon will be Pikachu. Go!"

Amanda threw another pokeball and the electric mouse popped out.

"Dewgong, return!" Misty said and the seal was sucked back into its pokeball.

"Why did she call Dewgong back? It seemed to be doing fine," Hilary said.

"Misty is always cautious when it comes to Electric-type pokémon. Knowing her, she'll probably use Staryu," Ash said.

Just as he had predicted, Misty did call Staryu next.

"This should be easy," Amanda said.

"Oh don't be so sure," Misty countered.

"Pikachu, thunderbolt!" Amanda said.

"Staryu, Light Screen," Misty said.

A transparent silver barrier appeared in front of Staryu and the Thunderbolt attack dispersed leaving Staryu unharmed.

"Now, use Bubblebeam!"

Staryu's crystal glowed and it thrust its body forward and a stream of large bubbles came pouring out. Amanda's Pikachu was hit head on and to Amanda's surprise, it fainted on the spot.

"I don't understand. I thought Electric types were strong to Water types."

"Electric-type _moves _are strong against Water pokémon, but Electric types themselves have no special resistance to water type moves," Misty said.

"Well, I still have one more pokémon to go! I choose Raticate!"

The brown and white rat came out of its pokeball.

"Staryu, use swift," Misty commanded.

Staryu pointed three of its arms at Raticate and stars shot out. Raticate was hit hard, but it managed to avoid being knocked out.

"Raticate, use Scary Face!" Amanda said.

Raticate glared and its eyes began to glow yellow. It let out a growl and Staryu seemed to be paralyzed.

"Alright, now use Hyper Fang!"

Raticate ran at Staryu and clamped on the jewel with its teeth. There was a crack and then Raticate went back over to Amanda. Staryu was dazed but remained standing.

"Staryu, use Swift again!" Misty said.

Staryu seemed to move sluggishly, but managed to use the attack. Raticate went down and this time, it didn't get back up.

Ash stood up and said, "Misty has won the battle."

Amanda returned Raticate. "Oh…I guess my pokémon aren't strong enough yet."

"Well, in fairness, my pokémon have gotten a lot stronger since I took over as gym leader, so I didn't expect someone who's just starting out to be able to match me. You'll get there," Misty said.

"I'd better get my pokémon to the Pokémon Center," Amanda said before leaving.

Ash walked up to Misty and smiled. "You did great!"

Misty smiled back. "Thanks."

"That looked like fun. I might want to try it," Tyson said.

"I guess Misty and I could let you borrow some of our pokémon," Ash said.

"Thanks! What about you Hil?" Tyson asked the girl beside him.

"I guess it could be fun. Besides, it would give us a chance to learn more about these creatures," Hilary answered.

"How about you two take some of our pokémon and do a practice match?" Misty suggested.

"Good idea, Mist," Ash said.

"So, you two want to learn more about Pokémon?" A female voice asked.

"Well, here's your first lesson," A male voice said.

"Where there's powerful pokémon, Team Rocket's there to steal 'em!"

Tyson and Hilary turned around and saw a woman with long purplish-red hair, a man with short blue hair and a cat with a coin-shaped jewel on its head.

"To protect the world from devastation-" Jessie started

"Oh shut up with the motto already!" Misty said.

"Who are you three?" Tyson asked.

"We are members of Team Rocket, an international crime syndicate bent on world domination," Jessie said.

"And we plan on taking the twerps' pokémon to help reach that goal!" Meowth said.

"Yeah, like that's gonna happen!" Ash said, glaring at his long-time foes.

"Oh, it will," James said. "Carnivine, Mime Jr., go!" Two pokémon appeared on the stadium floor, one a walking Venus flytrap, the other a small, pink humanoid creature with what looked like a navy-blue Santa hat on its head.

"Seviper, Yanmega, go!" Jessie said. A black snake with a pointed tail and a large green wasp appeared.

"If it's a battle you want, it's a battle you'll get!" Ash said while taking out his lone pokeball. "Charizard, go!"

"Gyarados, Corsola, go!" Misty said.

The pokémon appeared on the stadium floor, along with Pikachu, who was ready to fight.

"Carnivine, use Bullet Seed on Corsola!" James said.

"Corsola, counter it with Spike Cannon!" Misty said.

The two attacks canceled each other out.

"Alright Charizard, use Flamethrower on Carnivine!" Ash said.

"Oh no you don't! Yanmega, Quick Attack on Charizard!" Jessie said.

The fly pokémon charged at the lizard at lightning speed, slamming into its stomach before the Flamethrower attack could be executed.

"Mime Jr., use Teeter Dance on Pikachu and Charizard!" James commanded.

The small mime began to perform a hula dance and its body glowed blue. Charizard and Pikachu glowed as well, and began to do the same dance, in a confused daze.

"Oh no," Ash said to himself.

"Gyarados, Flamethrower on Carnivine!" Misty said. "Corsola, use Ancient Power on Yanmega!"

Corsola concentrated and a large ball of energy formed in front of it which it hurled at Yanmega. The fly pokémon took a direct hit and went down but didn't faint. This allowed Gyarados to use its Flamethrower, taking out Carnivine. James returned the pokémon.

"Thanks Mist," Ash told Misty. She nodded her acknowledgment.

Ash had tried to get Charizard to attack Carivine before, but in its confused state, it attacked itself and Carivine had taken advantage and bit the dragon-like pokémon. Jessie saw an opportunity. Yanmega had recovered by this time.

"Yanmega, use Ancientpower on Charizard!"

The attack hit Charizard head on and combined with the damage it had already taken, it fainted.

"Charizard!" Ash gazed at the fallen pokémon with a mixture of shock and concern. _Darn it! They're actually fighting smart! _"Return!"

Charizard was taken back into its pokeball. _I just hope Pikachu can shake off his confusion long enough to help._

Tyson and Hilary were watching this unfold and both were worried for their new friends.

_These guys are pretty good. I hope Ash and Misty can win this battle._ Hilary thought.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on Mime Jr."

The yellow mouse heard the command and tried to clear its head. It managed to focus enough to aim the attack. Mime Jr. fainted immediately after being hit.

"Mime Jr, return," James said sadly.

Jessie gritted her teeth in frustration. She was afraid this would happen.

"Alright twerps. I didn't want it to come to this, but you've left me with no other choice."

"What are you talking about?" Misty asked.

"Seviper, use Wrap on the brunette, now!" Jessie said.

Ash and Misty gasped as the viper lunged at Hilary. She was frozen in fear and unable to move. Before the snake could reach Hilary, Tyson pushed her out of the way and Seviper wrapped its body around him instead. Hilary had been pushed into the stands and was lying on the bottom rung on her stomach. She got up and gasped when she saw Seviper squeezing Tyson.

"Tyson!" she called out.

He looked over at Hilary and despite being constricted, managed to speak. "Go…get out of here! Don't worry about me…"

"She won't be going anywhere! Yanmega, use Air Slash! Jesse said.

Yanmega's wings began to flap rapidly and two air discs were fired from each pair heading straight for Hilary. This time, Hilary moved and run up the rows of the stands, dodging the attack.

"So, you think you can escape, little girl? Yanmega, keep firing! Don't stop until you hit your target!" Jessie commanded.

Yanmega obeyed and continued to fire at Hilary. She ran along the row as fast as she could and when she reached the end she jumped to the ground and ran out of the room.

"Go after her, Yanmega. Capture her and bring her back to us," Jessie told her pokémon and Yanmega chased after Hilary.

"What is wrong with you? You could really hurt her!" Misty said to Jessie.

"What exactly is your plan, Jessie?" James whispered to her.

"If we can capture the twerps' friends, we can hold them for ransom and get the twerps' pokémon in exchange for them," Jessie whispered back.

"Corsola, attack Seviper with Spike Cannon so it'll let go of Tyson," Misty said.

"I'm going after Hilary so I can stop Yanmega," Ash said to Misty..

"Oh no you're not," James said. "Cacturne, go!"

James threw a third pokéball and a humanoid shaped cactus appeared.

Jessie smirked and took out another pokeball. "Wobbuffet, go!"

The strange blue creature appeared, saying its own name.

_Crap! Charizard can't fight and Pikachu's moves aren't effective against Grass-type pokémon. _Ash thought.

Corsola was attacking Seviper but the snake held tight. Misty looked at Wobbuffet warily.

_He may look stupid, but his abilities make him a formidable opponent. I'm gonna have to be careful._

"Gyarados, Bite!" Misty commanded.

"Not so fast. Wobbuffet, Counter."

Gyarados moved in and prepared to attack but an orange glow surrounded Wobbuffet and when Gyarados tried to execute the move, it was repelled and flew back, landing on its side next to Misty.

"Gyarados, are you alright?" Misty asked.

The pokémon roared, an indication that it was still able to fight, and then managed to right itself and get back up.

_I was afraid of this. Maybe if I use an attack powerful enough, it'll break through Wobbuffet's defenses. I hope I'm right, because if not, Gyarados is done for._

"Gyarados, use Hyper Beam! Put all your strength into the attack!" Misty commanded.

Misty stepped away from Gyarados while it charged up the Hyper Beam attack. When it fired, Wobbuffet used Counter again. The attack hit head on and the force field that Counter generated was being pushed in and taxed to the max from the force of the Hyper Beam.

"Hang in there Wobbuffet!" Jessie said.

The barrier held and Hyper Beam was eventually reflected back at Gyarados who fell to the ground and fainted upon being hit with the attack.

"Gyarados, return!" Misty recalled her pokémon and glared at Wobbuffet.

_Damn it! Is there anything that can break through its defenses?_


	8. Team Rocket's Attack: Part 2

It's been a while since I updated this fast, huh? Anyway, this is the eighth chapter of the story, and the conclusion of the cliffhanger. I hope you enjoy it. Read & Review.

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><p>Hilary had run into the pool room and jumped into the water, figuring that Yanmega wouldn't attack her if it didn't know where she was. Unfortunately, she knew that eventually, she'd have to come up for air and when that happened, she'd be right in the path of Yanmega's attack.<p>

_How am I going to avoid getting hit by that Air Slash attack? I can't stay down here much longer, so I may just have to take the hit and keep moving._

A minute later, she went for the surface, praying the bug wouldn't see her. She came up near the end of the pool and immediately climbed out just as Yanmega released its Air Slash attack. Hilary dived and barely managed to avoid it.

She got to her feet and took off her jacket, throwing it over Yanmega and running into the hall, picking up her pace. Now that she didn't have the jacket to protect her upper body, Hilary knew she had to reach shelter before the bug pokémon could catch up with her.

_If I can just make it to Misty's room, I'll be safe…at least temporarily…_

Unable to see, Yanmega was disoriented and flew in random directions. It inadvertently used Air Slash, trying to get the foreign obstruction off and cut two holes into the fabric so it could see. It then used Silver Wind to lift the jacket off so it could fly unimpeded and followed Hilary down the hall, continuing to use Air Slash.

Hilary was close to the end of the hall when she felt something cut her shoulders and her left side. She didn't have to look behind her to know that Yanmega was following. She kept running and was just about to turn the corner when a piercing pain in her back made her stop in her tracks. Two air blades had sliced into her back, one on both sides. Blood spurted from the wounds and she fell to the ground, barely conscious.

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><p>Back at the stadium, Ash had tried to attack Cacturne with Iron Tail and Electro Ball but they barely phased the cactus pokémon. Thankfully, Cacturne's grass type attacks didn't do much damage to Pikachu. Corsola was still using Spike Cannon on Seviper but the snake pokémon held fast.<p>

Misty was trying to think of a pokémon that could break Wobbuffet's defensive abilities. An idea came into her head and she smiled.

"Psyduck, go!" She threw her pokeball and the yellow duck appeared.

Ash knew immediately what she planned to do and smiled as well. _Great idea, Mist._

"Psyduck, use Scratch," Misty commanded.

Psyduck obeyed and went in for the attack. Wobbuffet, predictably, used Counter and Psyduck was repelled and landed on its head.

"Get back up, Psyduck!"

The duck managed to do so and Misty commanded it to use Scratch again. Jessie laughed.

"You're not very smart, are you? If that attack failed before, what makes you think it'll work now?"

"Oh, I'm not planning on _this _attack working," Misty said, smirking.

The same scenario played out again, but this time, Psyduck's psychic abilities activated and a blue glow surrounded the duck. It floated off the ground and then turned upright and its eyes were glowing blue.

"Psyduck, Confusion!" Misty commanded.

Psyduck's hands went to its head and Wobbuffet glowed blue as well before being lifted off the ground and thrown all the way across the room, hitting the wall with a hard thud. The glow disappeared from Psyduck and from its opponent. Wobbuffet fell to the ground, fainted.

Jessie growled and called back the pokémon. "You may think you've won, but we still have the upper hand. Seviper, use Poison Tail and stab Tyson with it!" Jessie said.

"Corsola, use Ancientpower on Seviper now!" Misty said frantically.

Sensing the urgency in her trainer's voice, Corsola called up the ball of energy as quickly as possible and flung it at the snake pokémon. Seviper's tail glowed purple and flicked into position before Seviper stabbed Tyson in his right arm with its stinger. Tyson shouted out in pain before Corsola's attack hit Seviper in the head, forcing the snake to withdraw its attack and release its captive. It went back over to Jessie.

"Tyson, are you alright?" Ash asked.

"I'm fine! Just finish the fight!" Tyson said.

"Dewgong, go!" Misty said, throwing another pokeball.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on Seviper!" Ash commanded.

"Dewgong, use Aurora Beam on Cacturne!"

The two pokémon attacked their respective opponents, causing both to faint. James glared at Ash and Misty but Jessie seemed to be unaffected by the loss.

"You two may have won the battle, but we won't leave here empty handed. I'm sure that Yanmega has already captured your friend and is bringing her back here as we speak," she said. She turned to James and smirked. "I think it's time for us to retrieve our hostage."

"Pikachu, don't let them leave this room!"Ash said.

Pikachu knew what his trainer meant and unleashed a Thunderbolt attack. The three took a direct hit and lay on the floor, charred, once the attack was finished.

"That should keep them down long enough for us to get to Hilary," Ash said.

"But first, we need to attend to Tyson," Misty said.

"Don't worry about me. We need to find Hilary now," Tyson said.

"But Tyson, you're poisoned! If you're not treated, you could die!" Misty said.

"That overgrown wasp is still after her. What if that woman was right and it did capture Hilary?'

"Tyson, listen, I have an Antidote in my backpack. Treating your wound will only take a minute."

"If it'll only take a minute, you can do it later."

"Tyson, I think Misty's right. According to my Pokedex, the poison from a Seviper can kill a human in one to two hours. We need to get you healed," Ash said.

"I don't care!"

Tyson ran out of the stadium and into the pool room. He didn't see Hilary, but he did find her jacket, and his worry only increased. He went into the hall. It was there that he saw Yanmega and sprinted towards it. When he reached the pokémon, he saw Hilary suspended in the air by a small whirlwind, obviously created by Yanmega.

Tyson immediately took out his launcher and placed Dragoon on it. He saw that Hilary was unconscious but it wasn't until he looked at the floor that he realized just how badly she was hurt. There was a pool of blood directly beneath her. Tyson's eyes narrowed and he launched Dragoon at Yanmega. The beyblade hit the bug pokémon on its back and cut along its spine, spurting blood from the gash, just like had happened to Hilary. The whirlwind holding Hilary dissipated and Tyson ran to catch her before she hit the ground.

Yanmega tried to fly away but it lost strength quickly from its wound and ended up crashing into the wall. Ash and Misty came up behind Tyson just then. After seeing the blood on the floor, they knew why he was so worried.

"Tyson, set her down gently," Misty told him.

He nodded and slowly lowered her to the ground. Misty turned her over and frowned at the blood that had seeped into her hair. Lifting it out of the way, she heard Tyson and Ash gasp. Dried and fresh blood covered her tank top and there were two large horizontal cuts in her upper back, one on either side of her spine, and being moved around made them start bleeding again.

"This is very bad…" Misty said.

"Should we take her to the hospital?" Ash asked.

"There's no time. We need to stop the bleeding now."

"We can use my jacket," Tyson said.

He took it off as quickly as he could and tossed it to Misty, who carefully laid it over Hilary and applied pressure on the wounds.

"Ash, go get my first aid kit. It's in my room. Pikachu, go back to the stadium and keep an eye on Team Rocket," Misty said.

The yellow mouse nodded and ran back down the hall.

"What can I do?" Tyson asked.

"Do you believe in divine intervention?" Misty asked.

"Yeah…"

"Pray. That's what you can do."

A minute later, Ash came back with the first aid kit. Misty removed Tyson's jacket and saw that the bleeding had stopped.

"We have to move fast. Ash, get the anti-septic spray out and hand it to me."

Ash nodded and followed her instructions. Misty sprayed each wound four times.

"Alright, now hand me the gauze." Ash did so before Misty turned to him and said, "I'm going to have to take her tank top off so you and Tyson will have to turn around."

Ash and Tyson did as they were told and Misty slowly turned Hilary over. She carefully removed the tank top so as not to agitate her cuts and make them bleed again. Once it was off, Misty turned Hilary back on her stomach and started wrapping the gauze just above her cuts and went down until both of them were covered. With that task done, Misty put Hilary on her back again and put the top back on just as carefully as she had taken it off.

"Alright, you can look now," she told the boys. "Ash, help me pick her up and take her into Daisy's room. Be very careful," Misty said.

Ash got her legs while Misty got her back and they lifted her up and carried her to Daisy's room. Tyson opened the door and they laid her on the bed. Misty turned to Tyson.

"Alright, now that she's been taken care of, we need to get that poison neutralized."

Tyson nodded. Misty took off her backpack and went through until she found the Antidote. She went over to him and looked at the place on his left arm where he was stabbed. He had been bleeding and there was a trail of dried blood running down from the wound. The wound itself was beginning to darken indicating that the poison had already spread throughout a good portion of his body. Misty sprayed the medicine on the wound several times.

"This Antidote will treat your wound and the chemicals will go inside your body and neutralize the poison. You'll be okay. Once the dark patches disappear, you can wash your arm and put a bandage on that spot," Misty said.

"Thanks. What about Hilary though? Will she be okay?" Tyson asked.

"Well, the good news is, she'll very likely live, despite the amount of blood she lost. The bad news is, it might take days for her to wake up and even longer to fully recover."

_As long as she's alive, I'm happy _Tyson thought.

"What do we do about Team Rocket?" Ash asked.

"Call the police and tell them that those three goons went far beyond merely trying to steal pokémon this time. The way I see it, they'll be carted off to jail immediately."

"You think they'll stay there this time?" Ash asked as he dialed 911.

"I doubt it. Even if they are charged, tried and convicted, their boss will eventually bust them out. He always does. I'll tell Pikachu to let them get the Yanmega and then hold _them _hostage till the police get here."

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><p>Later that day, after Team Rocket and their pokémon had been taken into custody, Ash and Misty were in Misty's bedroom watching TV.<p>

"Hey Ash, Tyson's barely left Daisy's bedroom since we put Hilary in there today."

"He's worried about her Mist, give him a break. If you were in her place, heaven forbid, I wouldn't want to leave your side either."

"Really?"

"Of course. You mean a lot to me, more than you know actually."

Misty smiled. "Thanks Ash, that's really good to know. You mean a lot to me too."


	9. Hilary Wakes

This is the 9th chapter of my crossover story. For all the Pokeshippers, the next chapter will focus more on Ash & Misty. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Read & Review.

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><p>Two days after Team Rocket's attack and subsequent apprehension, Hilary finally opened her eyes. She recognized that she was in Daisy's room. Looking to her side, she was surprised to see Tyson waiting by her bedside.<p>

"…T-Tyson?" she said, barely above a whisper.

He looked over at her and his initial surprise quickly gave way to joy.

"Hilary, you're awake!"

"Hey…what did I miss?" she asked.

"You've been out for two and a half days. Do you remember what happened?"

"Yeah, I was running from that bug pokémon and it sliced my back with that Air Slash attack."

"Team Rocket was carted off to jail so you don't have to worry about them anymore."

"How did I get here?"

"I found you and Yanmega was about to take you back to Team Rocket so I used Dragoon to stop it. Then Misty bandaged you up and she and Ash carried you here."

"So you saved me…" she said, smiling at him.

"No, I didn't. It was Misty who saved you. If she hadn't been there, you might've bled to death."

"But if you hadn't stopped Yanmega in the first place, I wouldn't even be here. Thank you…"

Tyson blushed. "Don't mention it."

A comfortable silence developed for a few moments before Tyson spoke again.

"There's something I've been meaning to tell you. You know how I always tease you and poke fun at you? Well, I never really explained _why_ I do it so much."

"Why is that?" Hilary asked.

"Believe it or not, it's because I like you. I like being around you and my teasing you is my weird way of getting your attention."

"…Really?"

"Yeah, really."

Hilary didn't say anything at first. After about a minute, she spoke up. "I guess you were right."

"About what?"

"Me needing a thicker skin. If you only tease me to get my attention, I shouldn't be bothered by it."

"Listen, I know I go too far sometimes…okay, a lot of the time and I'm sorry."

"Thanks, but I can't be too mad at you. I didn't know. Now that I do, I'll try to take your little jabs in stride."

"And I'll learn to shut my mouth before things get heated."

"Same here…and I like you too."

Just then, Misty walked in and smiled when she saw that Hilary was awake.

"So, you're finally up."

"Yeah. Tyson told me it was you who treated my wounds."

"He was right. I've been changing your bandages over the last couple of days as well. Speaking of which, it's time for another change. Your injuries have been healing quite nicely so this will probably be the last time I need to do it."

"Thank you for everything you've done and give Ash my thanks too."

"Sure thing. Now Tyson, you're going to need to leave for a little while."

The bluenette nodded and walked out of the room.

"Alright Hilary, do you think you can take off your tank top?" Misty asked.

"I'll do my best," she answered.

Hilary managed to pull the tank top over her head, and got it off.

"Good. Now, just turn around and I'll cut the gauze off," Misty said.

Hilary did as she was told and Misty carefully cut through the bandages on her back and removed them. After throwing them in the trash, she took out fresh gauze from her first-aid kit and began to wrap it around her cuts, which had already clotted and new skin was beginning to form.

"You know, Tyson hardly left your side for the time you were knocked out," Misty said.

"He didn't?"

"Nope. I think the only times he came out of this room were when he had to use the bathroom and when he took a shower. He ate all his food in here so he could be around in case you woke up. He would've slept in here on the floor if I had let him."

Hilary smiled as she took this information. He really did care about her. She thought back to the argument they had a few days ago. He had said that he showed his appreciation for her training by battling so hard. She knew that Tyson was a person who expressed himself through actions, not words, and she could kick herself for not realizing that he showed compassion and friendship in the same way.

She had been focusing on what he said to her because words were how she expressed her emotions. Now, when she thought back on the times he saved her (including saving her twice during the battle with Team Rocket), the pool incident and what she'd just been told, Hilary felt incredibly foolish for not seeing that Tyson cared about her just as much as any of his other friends.

"All done," Misty said suddenly.

"You're a great nurse, you know that?" Hilary said.

"Thank you. I'll go tell Tyson he can come in."

Misty left and about thirty seconds later, Tyson came in and was by her bedside again. Hilary gave him a big smile.

"Thank you, Tyson," she said.

Tyson gave her a confused look. "What for?" he asked.

"For being a great friend. I'm very lucky to have you in my life and I'm sorry I didn't figure that out sooner."

Tyson was still confused, but smiled back anyway. "You're welcome, I guess. You're a great friend too and I mean that."

Another comfortable silence ensued that was also broken by Tyson. Hearing Hilary call him a great friend gave him hope.

"Hey, once you're feeling better…you wanna do something sometime?" he asked, blushing slightly.

"Do something? Um, what did you have in mind?"

"Well, how about we go on a tour of Cerulean City, just you and me?" he asked.

"Tyson, are you asking me what I think you're asking me?"

He laughed nervously. "I might as well just come out and say it. Hil, would you go out with me?"

Hilary giggled before nodding. "I'd love to."

Tyson grinned wide. "Great! When do you wanna do it?"

"How about in two days?"

"Sure!"

"Um, can I ask a favor?"

"Of course. What is it?"

"Well, I haven't eaten in almost three days and I'm feeling really hungry right now."

"Say no more. What would you like?"

"Would it be possible to make vegetable soup?"

"I'd have to check the kitchen but I'll make it if I can find it."

"If there isn't any, I'll just settle for peanut butter-jelly sandwiches, as long as I get something in my stomach."

"I'll be back as soon as I can."

About twenty minutes later, Tyson came back with a plate of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

"Couldn't find any soup so…" he said, smiling.

"It's fine. Thanks."

"You're welcome. I'll take the plate back when you're done."

"You don't have to. I can take it back myself."

"No really, I don't mind. You're still recovering and I don't want you to overexert yourself."

"Tyson, the only activity I'd be doing is walking. Besides, I've got to get up and move around so my muscles can regain strength."

"Well, if you say so. But I'm going with you in case you need any help."

* * *

><p>It turned out that Hilary didn't need any help in carrying the plate or walking to the kitchen (aside from some initial wobbliness after getting out of bed) but she thanked Tyson for his concern.<p>

"You know Tyson, you don't have to watch over me all day," Hilary said as they were walking down the hall toward Daisy's room. "You said that you wanted to participate in a pokémon battle, so go ahead. You're allowed to do things for yourself."

"I just want to make sure you're okay."

"I'm fine. I'll just sit up in bed and watch TV for most of the day and get up every once in a while to walk around the room and exercise my muscles. I'll be alright."

"Okay. But I'll be in to check on you at least every couple hours."

Hilary sighed. "Alright, if it'll make you feel more at ease."

* * *

><p>When Hilary got back in bed, she turned on the TV and gave Tyson a smile before he left the room.<p>

_Tyson is being so attentive. I guess what happened freaked him out a little and now he's going the extra mile to make sure it doesn't happen again. I could've died after all. It may be a little much, but I'm grateful for it all the same._


	10. Envy, Doubts and Crushes

Hello everyone. I know it's been nearly three months since I updated any of my stories but I've finally finished the tenth chapter of Two of a Kind. I hope you enjoy it. As I promised, there's more focus on Ash and Misty. Read & Review.

* * *

><p>The next day, Tyson (with Misty's help) served Hilary breakfast in bed.<p>

"Wow. Bacon, scrambled eggs, and hash browns. How did you manage to put all this together?" Hilary asked.

"Misty helped," he said, rubbing the back of this head. "Here's some apple juice. I'll put it on the nightstand."

"You didn't have to go through all this trouble. I would've settled for cereal and a glass of water."

"I wanted to. And besides, you need a substantial breakfast to help build up your strength again."

"Well, I can't argue with that. Thank you."

"You're welcome. I'm gonna go talk to Ash about something and then I'll be right back, okay?"

"Alright."

* * *

><p>Tyson found Ash eating his own breakfast.<p>

"Hey Ash," he greeted.

"Oh, good morning Tyson. What's up?" Ash asked.

"Well, Hilary and I are going on a date tomorrow, for starters," Tyson said proudly.

"Really? That's great! Where to?"

"Just around Cerulean City. We're spending the day together."

"So I guess this means you know how she feels about you, huh?"

"Well, I know she likes me and since we're going on an official date, I figure that she might feel something beyond friendship for me."

"I'm really happy for you. Congratulations."

"There's something I wanted to ask you about too. I still want to try out pokémon battling so could you do a practice battle with me later today?"

"Sure. It'll have to be after Misty officially closes the gym to challengers though."

"That's fine. See you later."

* * *

><p>Just as he had promised, Tyson went back to Daisy's room to check on Hilary.<p>

"Hey Hil," he said as soon as he walked in.

"What did you talk to Ash about?" Hilary asked.

"I just asked him for a practice battle later. Speaking of which, do you wanna come down and watch some gym battles? I'll take your plate back to the kitchen while you go down to the stadium."

"Alright."

* * *

><p>Throughout the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon, Tyson, Hilary and Ash watched trainers challenge and lose to Misty. Only one, a boy, managed to get a Cascade Badge and Misty gave it to him, knowing he had no chance of winning after learning that he had only recently become a trainer.<p>

During this time, feeling bold, Tyson had put his arm around Hilary and pulled her close. Hilary didn't seem to mind. In fact, she smiled soon after being pulled into his embrace. Ash watched the two of them and although he didn't show it, the truth was that while he truly was glad for them, he was envious of Tyson. His relationship with Hilary seemed to be progressing rapidly while Ash's relationship with Misty was stagnant in comparison. Ash didn't want to rush Misty into anything but his feelings for her were just as strong as Tyson's feelings for Hilary and he wanted to let them show but he was afraid of how she would respond.

_I can face down the most dangerous pokémon without flinching when I have to but I can't be bold enough to tell a girl I love her. How pathetically ironic. Maybe I need to take another cue from Tyson and just be straightforward about my feelings. I'll give it a shot after my battle with him._

* * *

><p>Later that day, around five o-clock, Misty closed up the gym for battles and Ash decided to ask Tyson if he was ready for their practice battle. Ash found Tyson in Daisy's room sitting on his knees and what appeared to be rubbing Hilary's legs up and down. Ash looked at the scene with a mixture of confusion and surprise.<p>

"Tyson, what are you doing?" he asked.

"Oh, hey Ash. Just giving Hilary a little massage. She said her legs were feeling really stiff from sitting in the stands all day, so I figured this would be the best way to relieve it," Tyson said.

"I told him it wasn't really necessary, but he insisted. I do have to say though, my legs are feeling better," Hilary said.

"Well Tyson, Misty's closed the gym from challengers for the day, so I came to see if you were ready for that practice battle."

"Oh sure. Tell Misty I'll need to borrow some of her pokémon and I'll be in the stadium in a minute."

"Alright," Ash said before walking out of the room.

Tyson turned to Hilary and stood up before sitting beside her on the bed.

"How are your legs?" he asked.

"Much better. Thanks."

"What about the rest of you? You haven't been feeling weak or sore or anything?"

"No, in fact, the only time I feel bad physically is when anything touches the spots on my back where I got cut."

"Alright, but I don't want you sitting in the bleachers this time."

"Don't worry, I'll stand," Hilary said.

"Good. Let's get to the stadium then."

* * *

><p>Tyson and Ash were now standing on opposite sides of the stadium floor. Misty was standing off to the sidelines acting as the referee.<p>

"This will be a two-on-two battle with no time limit. The contestants are ready…start!"

Misty waved the red flag and both Tyson and Ash took out a pokeball.

"Charizard, I choose you!" Ash said as he threw his pokeball. The fire lizard roared upon being released.

"Corsola, go!" Tyson said. The coral pokémon appeared with a battle cry.

"Good choice Tyson. I see you've been paying attention to the matches," Ash said. "Now let's see if you can use Corsola's powers effectively. Charizard, Steel Wing!"

Charizard's wings glowed white and he jumped up and flapped his wings to give him lift. The dragon-like pokémon floated a couple feet above the ground for a few moments before charging at Corsola.

Tyson looked at the charging pokémon with increasing anxiety, trying to figure out what to do. Suddenly, an idea struck him and he smirked.

"Corsola, use Bubblebeam. Aim for Charizard's face," Tyson said.

Corsola took a breath and let out a stream of large bubbles, aiming for its opponent's face. Just as Tyson had hoped, the bubbles got in Charizard's eyes and blinded him. The pokémon roared in pain and flew erratically for a few moments before crashing to the ground.

"Yes!" Tyson said, pumping his fist.

"Charizard, are you okay?" Ash called.

Charizard roared again, with his eyes closed. Ash could see that his pokémon wouldn't be able to battle effectively in its current state so he had no choice but to call it back.

"Charizard, return!" A red right surrounded Charizard and the pokémon disappeared into its pokeball. Ash smiled at Tyson.

"That was a good move Tyson. How'd you come up with it?" Ash asked.

"I remembered how Jessie stopped Charizard's Flamethrower attack before he could execute it, so I thought I could do the same with Bubblebeam," Tyson said.

Ash immediately frowned. "Oh…well, I still have Pikachu." He turned to his best friend. "You ready buddy?"

Pikachu nodded and got on the battlefield facing Corsola.

"Alright, use Iron Tail!" Ash commanded.

Pikachu ran at Corsola and his tail began to glow white.

"Corsola, use Spike Cannon to slow it down!" Tyson said.

"Pikachu, use Agility to dodge!"

The yellow mouse picked up speed and maneuvered through the spikes being fired at him and once he got close enough, he lunged forward and twisted his body around to smack Corsola with his Iron Tail attack.

Corsola slid back across the floor toward Tyson.

"Corsola, can you still fight?" Tyson asked. The coral pokémon gave a sound of approval. "Alright, use Recover."

Corsola began to glow white and within a few moments, the glow turned to rainbow colors and Corsola was healed.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt! Take it out with one shot!" Ash said.

_Oh crap! _"Corsola, use Ancientpower!"

Pikachu's cheeks sparkled and a large bolt of lightning emanated from his body heading straight for Corsola. At the same time, the coral pokémon had summoned the Ancientpower energy ball and it was racing toward Pikachu. The Thunderbolt attack struck Corsola full-force while Ancientpower hit Pikachu just before he could finish his attack.

The force of the Thunderbolt was enough to knock Corsola out and Pikachu suffered a serious blow due to his susceptibility to physical attacks, but was still able to fight and got back up.

"Corsola, return!" Tyson said. He looked up at Ash and smiled. "I knew this battle was going to be a challenge since Water types are weak against Electric types, but you won't be able to take out my next pokémon so easily. Go Staryu!"

Tyson threw the pokeball and the starfish pokémon appeared with a battle cry. Ash and Tyson stared each other down.

_Tyson has obviously been paying attention to all the battles he's seen so he knows what Staryu's strengths and weaknesses are as well as what Pikachu's strengths and weaknesses are. He may be an amateur, but he's a quick learner._

_Ash isn't holding back so I'm gonna have to think on my feet if I want to have any hope of defeating that Pikachu. It's a real long shot, but with Staryu's Light Screen, I just might have a chance! And if by some miracle I do win, not only do I get the satisfaction of knowing I'm good at pokémon battling, but I'll impress Hilary too._

"Well Tyson, it looks like I'm gonna have to pull out all the stops here. Sorry pal. You may be my friend, but I intend to win this battle," Ash said.

_And there is no way in hell I'm losing to a beginner and looking like a total dork in front of Misty. That's the last thing I need._

"We'll see about that, Ash," Tyson said.

"Pikachu, use Electro Ball!" Ash said.

"Staryu, leap up to dodge and then use Rapid Spin!" Tyson said.

Pikachu shot a ball of electric energy at Staryu but the starfish pokémon leaped to avoid the attack and then began to spin until it looked like it was a disk and flew at Pikachu.

"Pikachu, dodge it!"

Pikachu couldn't dodge however as the attack was so fast that he didn't have time to and he was hit full on. The electric mouse flew back, flipped over and landed on his stomach.

"Don't give him a chance to breathe! Bubblebeam!" Tyson told Staryu.

Staryu thrust itself forward and bubbles streamed out of its three upper arms at a high velocity.

"Pikachu, get up! Use Agility to dodge, quick!"

Pikachu managed to stand up and used agility to avoid the incoming attack.

"Great, now use Thunderbolt!"

"Staryu, use Light Screen!"

The golden transparent barrier appeared in front of Staryu and held through the attack, but looked faded afterwards.

"Alright Pikachu, use Iron Tail!"

Tyson initially thought of using Bubblebeam but remembered how Pikachu had dodged Corsola's Spike Cannon attack. "Staryu, don't move!" Tyson said.

Misty, Hilary, and especially Ash looked at Tyson in surprise.

_What is he thinking? He can't intend to just let Staryu take the hit… _Hilary thought.

_He'd better know what he's doing. I didn't lend him my best pokémon just to see him let it take abuse._

_What's he up to? There's got to be some sort of plan behind this._

"Pikachu, be careful!" Ash called out.

As the electric mouse moved closer to Staryu, Tyson tried not to let a smirk appear on his face. Just as Pikachu began to leap up, Tyson saw his chance.

"Staryu, Bubblebeam!"

_Crap! I knew he was up to something! It's too late to call off Iron Tail, so I'll just have to hope Pikachu has enough energy to withstand the attack. _Ash thought.

The Bubblebeam attack knocked Pikachu out of the air and sent him flying, landing close to Ash.

"Pikachu, can you still fight?"

The pokémon lifted its head and managed to sit up. He looked fatigued and was breathing hard.

"Buddy listen, all you have to do is get in a good Thunderbolt attack and you can win. Do you think you can do it?" Ash asked.

Pikachu let out an affirmative reply and was now on his feet again.

"Alright Pikachu, go for it!"

"Staryu, use Rapid Spin now! Spin as fast as you can!" Tyson commanded.

Staryu obeyed and leaped up, spinning toward Pikachu while the yellow mouse let loose a Thunderbolt. The electrical attack hit Staryu head-on but the starfish's constant spinning helped to disperse the attack and Staryu was able to hit Pikachu. Unfortunately for Tyson, the mouse pokémon was still able to get back up, though he was clearly on his last legs and Staryu dropped to the ground, unable to move due to being paralyzed. Its Light Screen barrier was gone.

"Pikachu, use Electro Ball!" Ash said.

Pikachu generated a large ball of electricity and threw it at Staryu, shocking the starfish pokémon and causing its jewel to start flashing, indicating that it had fainted.

"Staryu is unable to battle. Ash wins," Misty said.

Ash sighed in relief and smiled at Tyson.

"You did great Tyson. If Pikachu's Static ability hadn't paralyzed Staryu, I would've lost."

"Well, I didn't really expect to win," he said.

"Still, you have a lot of potential."

"Thanks."

Tyson walked over to Misty and handed her the pokeballs she had given him.

"Sorry for letting your pokémon get hurt."

"It's okay. That's the nature of battling."

Tyson walked toward the entrance of the stadium but before he could leave, Hilary caught his left hand. He stopped and turned to her to see her smiling at him.

"Ash was right you know. You did a great job," she said softly.

"You think so?" Tyson asked.

Hilary leaned forward and kissed him on his left cheek.

"Does that answer your question?"

Tyson didn't answer, gazing at her in shock. His cheeks had a deep blush on them. A smile slowly formed on his face.

"Can I have another?" he asked.

Hilary laughed. "Let's get something to eat. I'm sure you're hungry after that battle."

"And you'd be right. Pokémon battling is almost as energy-consuming as beyblading."

The two walked out of the stadium.

* * *

><p>Ash and Misty had seen the exchange between them, though they didn't hear all that was said. Misty was smiling throughout the whole scene, thinking it was cute, but Ash was thinking about his own relationship with Misty and felt that same small twinge of envy toward Tyson for having progressed with Hilary so quickly.<p>

He looked at Misty and was surprised to find that she was looking at him as well._ This is my chance to talk to Misty._

"We should probably get our pokémon to the Pokémon Center," she said.

"Before we do, there's something I need to say," Ash said.

"What is it?"

"I'm sure you saw Hilary just kiss Tyson on the cheek, right?"

"Yeah. I thought it was sweet. What about it?"

"Well, how do you think Hilary feels about him?"

"What do you-"

"Because I know for a fact that Tyson has a crush on her," Ash said before she could answer.

"How do you know? And where are you going with this?" Misty asked.

"I know because he told me. And where I'm going is…I think I feel the same way about you…"

Misty audibly gasped in shock. She couldn't believe it. She had waited for six years to hear this from him and now that she had…it didn't feel the way she expected. She should've been overjoyed but she wasn't. Something about the situation felt off.

"Why are you telling me this now?" Misty asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you suddenly started talking about Tyson having a crush on Hilary and you used that to segway into telling me you have a crush on me. The circumstances just seem strange."

"Look, if you don't feel the same-"

"I know exactly how I feel about you Ash Ketchum, but I don't know how I feel about this sudden confession. "

"How do you feel about me?" Ash asked.

"I'm not gonna tell you yet. I need time to think about this before I give an answer."

"That's fine. I don't want to pressure you. I just wanted to let you know how I felt."

Misty's expression softened when she heard that. Maybe he was being sincere but she still had questions she needed answered.

"Well, thank you for letting me know. For now, we need to take care of our pokémon."

Ash nodded and the two rushed out of the gym.

* * *

><p>When Ash and Misty returned, Misty immediately went to Daisy's room, assuming Hilary would be there. She was right and wasn't surprised to see Tyson there as well. The two were watching TV.<p>

"Hilary, I need to talk to you in private. Could you come to my room?" Misty asked.

"Sure."

* * *

><p>Misty locked the door behind her and she and Hilary sat on the regular bed.<p>

"So, what did you need to talk to me about?" Hilary asked Misty.

"Ash told me he has a crush on me and I don't know what to do."

"What do you mean? I thought this was what you wanted."

"I thought so too. It's not the fact that he said it that bothers me, it's the way he went about it. He started talking about your feelings for Tyson after seeing you kiss him on the cheek earlier and then said that Tyson has a crush on you-"

"Wait a minute, how does Ash know Tyson has a crush on me?" Hilary asked.

"Tyson told him apparently. What, do you think Tyson doesn't feel that way about you?"

"I…think he does. I mean, we're going on a date tomorrow and Tyson didn't say anything about it being a date between friends. Plus, he's been so attentive ever since my attack."

"That's what I was wondering about. Ash told me he had a crush on me right after saying that Tyson had a crush on you and I just wonder if this whole confession is a result of seeing the growth in your relationship with Tyson. Like maybe he _thinks_ he likes me in that way because of how Tyson has treated you."

"I see. Well Misty, if you're unsure about his feelings, get him to show you."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that if Ash really does like you as more than a friend, even if it is just a crush, his actions will show that."

"I suppose you're right. That's what I'll tell him. Thanks Hilary."

"Hey, it's largely because of you and Ash that Tyson and I have gotten so far in our relationship. It's the least I can do."

When Hilary left, Misty continued to sit on her bed, contemplating what Hilary had said about Ash's feelings for her being "just a crush".

_Just a crush…I guess I should be happy with that. It's not full-blown love, but it's a start. And if Ash can prove to me that his feelings are genuine, maybe someday they'll evolve into more…_

* * *

><p>Later that night, Misty called Ash into her room.<p>

"Is there something wrong, Misty?" Ash asked when he sat down next to her.

"That depends. Ash, you asked me how I felt about you earlier today when you told me you had a crush on me and I told you I wasn't ready to give you an answer. Well, I'm still not ready but that's where you come in."

"What are you talking about?"

"Ash, I'm going to be frank with you. I'm not sure whether these feelings you claim to have for me are real. So until you show me that they are, I'm going to withhold giving you an answer as to my feelings for you."

Ash looked at her in shock. What reason would she have for doubting him?

"Misty, why would I lie about something like that?"

"I didn't say you were lying. I'm just unsure about the reasons why you confessed."

"Mist, I confessed because I wanted to let my feelings out. What other reason would I have?"

"Ash, I don't want to get into an argument with you. The fact is that I have my doubts, and if you were serious when you confessed, you'll show me that your feelings are genuine. Do you understand?"

Ash looked down, trying to think of what he could say to convince her, but soon realized that it would be a fruitless exercise. He looked up at her with a determined expression.

"Yes, I understand."

Misty smiled. "Good. See you tomorrow."

Ash nodded and left the room. He walked to Violet's room and climbed into her bed. Before he drifted off to sleep, Ash made a vow to himself.

_If she wants me to prove myself, that's what I'll do. And I'll show her that my feelings for her go well beyond a simple crush. Starting tomorrow._


End file.
